Chương 43: I Want to Learn This!

With Zhou Jie tending the pot, Aunt Zhao could focus on serving the customers. The young female workers readily ordered amidst cheers of "Good girl!"

"Six cents a bowl of noodles, is it really selling so well?"

"They didn't even hesitate for a second."

"A dish of kimchi can make customers so happy?" Zhou Jie watched from the side, a little bewildered, feeling his understanding being reshaped.

"Mmm! This beef and bamboo shoot stew is so delicious!"

"Try my ribs, they're amazing!"

"The broth is so flavorful, is it bone broth? The noodles are so chewy, this is the best noodles I've ever had!"

"No wonder college students love it, they really know their food!"

"Not to mention, the aroma of beef wafting from the pot is so enticing, it's completely different from what's served on the other side." It was clear the customers were very satisfied, with praise ringing out frequently. Perhaps because of the announcement, the occupancy rate was exceptionally high today, and soon every table was occupied. Zhou Yan had instructed that sharing tables was not allowed for lunch and dinner, but it was permitted for breakfast noodles. This rule was prominently displayed above the menu.

Sharing a table for noodles was no big deal. The relaxed atmosphere of Sichuan and Chongqing people could be glimpsed from the "bench noodles." A row of benches and small stools were placed at the entrance, and a group of people would eat noodles on these benches—a scene rarely seen elsewhere. For lunch and dinner, some customers would be gathering to discuss business, ordering several dishes; it wouldn't be appropriate for a stranger to join them at a shared table.

Of course, if coworkers voluntarily shared a table and ordered a few dishes to split the bill, that was a different story, and the restaurant naturally wouldn't stop them.

"Goodness, there's an empty seat here. Can this beautiful lady share a table with me?"

"Oh, you're so kind! I'll get you some more kimchi if we run out."

"Young man, come sit here. It's just right for the four of you to sit at one table." Aunt Zhao was perceptive and proactively arranged for the guests to share tables to avoid any awkwardness. Female workers sat with female workers, male workers with male workers, and the young couple could sit however they liked—it was all based on the guests' wishes. This significantly improved the guests' impression of Aunt Zhao, and they even raised their voices when calling her "Aunt Zhao."

Zhou Jie watched from the side, nodding repeatedly in surprise and admiration. Aunt Zhao was a well-known eccentric woman in Zhou Village, nicknamed the "Iron Lady with an Invincible Tongue." He never expected her to be so good at talking to customers in a restaurant, making them all smile and willingly spend their money. In those days, the waiters in state-run restaurants and factory canteens were arrogant and looked down on their customers. Going out for a meal can be frustrating, even after paying.

Even privately owned restaurants and street vendors are rather reserved and indifferent; their mindset hasn't changed. Zhou Jie considered himself quite eloquent and good at maintaining relationships with regular customers. But after seeing Fourth Aunt's behavior today, he felt like a complete greenhorn." Fourth Aunt, I want to learn this!" Zhou Jie was starting to figure things out. Zhou Yan's restaurant was doing well; the six-cent noodles were selling like hotcakes, and it wasn't just because they tasted good.

He put his customers first!

"Why are all the workers going to Zhou Erwa's restaurant? We sell for five cents a bowl, and they don't even ask us a question!" Wu Guihua scratched her head, looking completely bewildered.

"Yeah? Why? What went wrong?" Zhou Liangliang was equally confused. He knew there were shortcomings on his first day selling noodles, but for the workers not to even give him a chance to sit down and try them was just too unreasonable! Back when he had a stall at the dock, he moved it next to Zhou Jie's stall. By offering a one-cent discount, business was good for the first few days, stealing many customers from Zhou Jie. Things were completely different today.

They bought new pots and stoves, a bunch of ceramic bowls for noodles, and various ingredients this morning, emptying their savings. Zhou Liangliang and his wife were starting to panic. Zhao Tieying took down the signs for the minced beef noodles and beef and bamboo shoot noodles and hung them in the clearance section. By opening time, only two servings of pork rib noodles remained unsold. Zhou Yan cooked a bowl of pork rib noodles for Zhou Lihui so he could eat before school at 7: 30.

So this morning, the shop sold a total of 77 servings of noodles, a new record, and exactly what Zhou Yan had expected.

"Fourth Aunt, you're amazing!" Zhou Jie exclaimed, helping to clear the table. Without Aunt Zhao, the shop would have gone out of business.

"What's so great about that? I just shouted a couple of times," Zhao Tieying said with a smile, shaking her head, not feeling she had done anything special.

"Come on, let's have breakfast too." Zhou Yan brought out four bowls of noodles: two bowls of braised pork rib noodles and two bowls of freshly stir-fried beef with two kinds of peppers.

"I'll have the soup noodles; my mouth is parched from shouting all morning," Zhao Tieying said, taking away a bowl of braised pork rib noodles first.

"I want to try the beef with two kinds of peppers; everyone says it's good," Zhou Jie chose the noodles. Zhao Hong chose the soup noodles, and Zhou Yan ate the remaining bowl of noodles.

"Wow! These noodles smell so good! How come the beef is stir-fried so fragrant and tender? The noodles don't taste right; how can they be so chewy? So delicious?" Zhou Jie's eyes widened like saucers, his face filled with disbelief. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. He had initially thought those people were making such a fuss about eating noodles. Now, he questioned them, understood them, became like them, and surpassed them!

The portion of meat sauce is so generous! There's at least an ounce of meat, and the other half is made up of green and red peppers. With this much sauce, you can taste both the sauce and noodles in every bite—it's incredibly satisfying. Is six cents a bowl expensive? Not at all! Zhou Yan didn't even earn half the money. It's incredibly fair. After finishing the bowl, Zhou Jie even scooped out all the green and red peppers at the bottom, still wanting more.

"It's so delicious! The best noodles I've ever had in my life, bar none," Zhou Jie said with absolute certainty, then pulled out six cents and placed it on the table: "I'll pay too, to show my approval." (The latest novels are first published on 69shu. com!)"Master doesn't accept money from apprentices." Zhou Yan smiled and stuffed the money back into his pocket.

"I'll probably be using the 'dragon' a lot more often, so please tell my second uncle when you get home tonight. I'll buy it at market price."

"Okay, I'll tell my dad when I get home tonight." Zhou Jie nodded.

"What market price? We're brothers, of course we should give each other a discount."

"I'll also tell Zhou Fei tonight and ask him to reserve the 'dragon' for you, just enough to cover the cost." Zhao Hong put down her chopsticks and said.

"That's right, just enough to cover the cost." Zhou Jie echoed.

"I'm running a business, I can't take advantage of you. If you don't sell it at market price, I'd rather buy it elsewhere." Zhou Yan's attitude was firm; even with brothers, accounts are clear. Of course, Old Zhou was different. That's his own father. The discount on the beef would eventually double and go back to his secret stash. Zhou Jie and Zhao Hong had no choice but to give up after hearing this.

After finishing their noodles and resting for a while, Zhao Hong and Zhao Tieying went to wash the dishes, while Zhou Yan sat on a recliner by the door to rest, also keeping an eye on the soup pot.

"That couple is going to be in trouble this time. They haven't sold a single bowl of noodles all morning, and their faces are all black." Zhou Jie moved a bamboo chair to sit next to Zhou Yan, with a hint of schadenfreude.

"It was expected. After what happened with Wang Laowu, the textile factory workers already have a bit of a phobia of street vendors. Their noodles don't look good, and the soup pot smells like mutton. It would be a miracle if they did any business." Zhou Yan laughed. After chatting for two hours, Zhou Yan started cutting the tripe and other ingredients for the braised beef for lunch.

"You're going to put tripe in the braised beef? That's a huge investment." Zhou Jie watched from the side, somewhat surprised. He only adds beef during holidays, charging an extra 30 cents for every ounce or two.

"Slicing the beef this thin, one pound yields 150 slices. For 100 bowls of 'Qiaojiao Beef,' I use four pounds of 'diaolong' (a type of beef cut), increasing the cost by eight yuan, but each customer gets six slices." Zhou Yan picked up a thin slice of beef: "Six slices make the customer feel like there's a lot of beef, but actually, each bowl only contains four qian (a unit of weight) of beef."

"These days, customers are savvy. These six slices are key to selling this bowl of 'Qiaojiao Beef' for 60 cents; making the customer feel it's good value is very important." Zhou Jie nodded repeatedly, but looking at the beef in Zhou Yan's hand, he was still somewhat shocked: "One 150 slices from one pound?" He'd been cutting beef since he was a child; if he could cut one hundred slices from one pound, he considered himself quite skilled. Zhou Yan's beef slices were thin, large, and very even.

"Your knife skills are amazing. Hai Zi and I can't do that; one hundred slices is our limit." Zhou Jie shook his head, his eyes filled with admiration.

"A hundred slices is fine, just put in four." Zhou Yan laughed, knife skills aren't something you can improve overnight.

"Okay." Zhou Jie nodded, continuing to stare: "Are there any professional techniques? I also want to learn how to cut 150 slices." … In the factory canteen kitchen. All the chefs, butchers, and kitchen helpers stood in three rows, listening to head chef Huang Fusheng's instructions.

"Everyone should know that the canteen's stir-fries have recently received a decline in reputation. Of course, the main reason is that Zhou Erwa's restaurant caused trouble that day, stealing our customers."

"Director Wang has repeatedly instructed us to cook well, to make good food, so that the workers can eat with peace of mind and comfort. I hope everyone will listen to this and keep it in mind."

"Don't try to cheat me when cooking. If you put in too much salt or the meat is too dry and tough, I'll smash your head with the spatula!"

" Director Wang is always worried about the canteen, and he's lost weight lately. Aren't you ashamed? I can't sleep at night thinking about it!" … Others chimed in from time to time. Wang Defa, listening outside the door, nodded repeatedly, his mouth practically stretched to his ears in a grin. While Huang Fusheng's cooking skills were mediocre, his communication and problem-solving abilities were quite good.

"Always licking the fat hook and biting the skinny one, showing off by stepping on the reeds," a sneer rang out from a corner.

"He's even thinner now; any fatter and he'd be stuck in the cafeteria doorway." The kitchen fell silent instantly.